Films

History in Cinema

Casa Árabe has organized a new film series in which we attempt to
provide a review of the events that have marked the Arab world’s history
since the second half of the twentieth century and up to today. The
films will be shown in Madrid in May and June.

The selection of films was made from the collection at Casa Árabe’s cinema archive, with more than 650 titles, created throughout the institution’s ten years of existence, during which time its film series screenings have gone on uninterrupted.

With this series, we would like to highlight this cultural treasure in such a way that it can serve to illustrate, from such unusual vantage points as those of the filmmakers themselves, some of the main milestones reached to help build the historical tale told about the contemporary Arab world: the Nakba in Palestine, the nationalization of the Suez Canal and the uprise of Pan-Arabism; Arab countries’ independence; the civil war in Lebanon, 9/11, the Iraq War and the Arab Springs.

It is a selection of titles which combine the genres of documentary and fiction, in some cases being works completed with no intention whatsoever of telling all the facts, but instead just to illustrate the ambience and context of the era.

Al Nakba. Part I

4 euros: tickets purchased online, the officially unemployed, Casa Árabe
Language Center students and Youth Card holders, by showing the proper
documentation.You may only receive one discount. Advance sales at
www.casaarabe.es. Those tickets not sold online will be put on sale the
day of the screening at the Casa Árabe headquarters as of one hour
before each film is shown. Assigned seats with tickets.

Films shown in the original language version with subtitles in Spanish.

Filmmaker Rawan Al Damen directed this documentary filmed across ten
years and divided into two parts, discussing the origin of the
Palestinian catastrophe (Al Nakba) from 1799 to today.

With unique archival footage and an in-depth analysis by Israeli, Palestinian and British historians, this documentary tells an extraordinary tale, which still shapes affairs in the Near East today. The first part covers the period spanning 1799 to 1947, in which some of the plans for welcoming Jewish settlers into the territory of Palestine are described, as well as the role of the British mandate in responding to the Palestinian uprising which occurred from 1936 to 1939. The second part takes a more in-depth look at the events which occurred as of 1948, with the beginning of what is now called the Nakba, one of the consequences of which at present is the existence of more than 5 million Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and other countries.

Al Nakba won the award for best feature documentary on Palestine at the Al Jazeera Fifth International Film Festival (Doha, Qatar, 2009) and the public’s award at the AMAL Euro-Arab International Film Festival (Santiago de Compostela, 2009). It has been a participant in other film festivals in Brazil, Argentina, Italy, Jordan, Egypt and Palestine.

The second part of the documentary will be screened on Friday, May 18.

Al Nakba. Part II

4 euros: tickets purchased online, the officially unemployed, Casa Árabe
Language Center students and Youth Card holders, by showing the proper
documentation.You may only receive one discount. Advance sales at
www.casaarabe.es. Those tickets not sold online will be put on sale the
day of the screening at the Casa Árabe headquarters as of one hour
before each film is shown. Assigned seats with tickets.

Films shown in the original language version with subtitles in Spanish.

Second part of this documentary by filmmaker Rawan Al Damen, which
covers the Palestinian catastrophe as of the events in 1948 and up to
today.

This documentary, to which Rawan Al Damen, its director, devoted ten years of his life, is divided into two parts and covers the origins of the Palestinian catastrophe (Al Nakba) up to today. With unique archival footage and an in-depth analysis by Israeli, Palestinian and British historians, this documentary tells an extraordinary tale, which still shapes affairs in the Near East today. The first part covers the period spanning 1799 to 1947, in which some of the plans for welcoming Jewish settlers into the territory of Palestine are described, as well as the role of the British mandate in responding to the Palestinian uprising which occurred from 1936 to 1939. The second part takes a closer look at what happened as of 1948, with the beginning of what is known as the Nakba, one of the consequences of which at present is the existence of more than 5 million Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and other countries..

Al Nakba won the award for best feature documentary on Palestine at the Al Jazeera Fifth International Film Festival (Doha, Qatar, 2009) and the public’s award at the AMAL Euro-Arab International Film Festival (Santiago de Compostela, 2009). It has been a participant in other film festivals in Brazil, Argentina, Italy, Jordan, Egypt and Palestine.

The first part of this documentary is being screened in Madrid on Friday, May 11.

Nasser 56

4 euros: tickets purchased online, the officially unemployed, Casa Árabe
Language Center students and Youth Card holders, by showing the proper
documentation.You may only receive one discount. Advance sales at
www.casaarabe.es. Those tickets not sold online will be put on sale the
day of the screening at the Casa Árabe headquarters as of one hour
before each film is shown. Assigned seats with tickets.

Films shown in the original language version with subtitles in Spanish.

Mahfouz Abdel Rahman directed this fictional film which recreates the
early years of the Egyptian leader’s presidency, to be screened as part
of the film series which Casa Árabe is devoting to “History in Cinema.”

Production: Egypt, 1996, 142 min. Fiction

The film focuses on Nasser’s most important political move: the nationalization of the Suez Canal in 1956. The film is an accurate reflection of the speeches and working habits of Gamal Abdel Nasser and provides a fine portrait of his relationship with collaborators and family. Nasser 56 will be remembered as a milestone in the history of Egyptian and Arab cinema in general, because it is the first movie to have shown the role of a contemporary Arab leader on film. The film has earned a place in the history of Egyptian cinema, because, in addition to having drawn in a large audience, which it disconcerted and surprised, it has played an important role in outlining the memory of the public at large about the most important figure in contemporary Egyptian history.

Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi)

4 euros: tickets purchased online, the officially unemployed, Casa Árabe
Language Center students and Youth Card holders, by showing the proper
documentation.You may only receive one discount. Advance sales at
www.casaarabe.es. Those tickets not sold online will be put on sale the
day of the screening at the Casa Árabe headquarters as of one hour
before each film is shown. Assigned seats with tickets.

Films shown in the original language version with subtitles in Spanish.

A new film session reaches the screens of Casa Árabe in Madrid, with
this feature that tells the story of three Algerian brothers living in
Paris and their militancy in favor of Algeria’s independence.

After World War Two, three Algerian brothers who were expelled from their homeland meet up again in Paris. Messaoud and Abdelkader are fighting for their country’s independence in the National Liberation Front, whereas Saïd attempts to find his fortune in the boxing clubs and tenements of Paris’ Pigalle neighborhood. Their fates will end up being united with that of a nation fighting for its freedom. A realistic, powerful, complex viewpoint of the reasons for those in the uprising to put their lives at stake to seek the freedom of their country. In the case of Algeria, it would end up doing so in the year of 1962.

On the Battlefields (Maarek hob)

4 euros: tickets purchased online, the officially unemployed, Casa Árabe
Language Center students and Youth Card holders, by showing the proper
documentation.You may only receive one discount. Advance sales at
www.casaarabe.es. Those tickets not sold online will be put on sale the
day of the screening at the Casa Árabe headquarters as of one hour
before each film is shown. Assigned seats with tickets.

Films shown in the original language version with subtitles in Spanish.

Danielle Arbid was the director of this film set in Beirut in 1983,
right in the middle of the Lebanese civil war, allowing us to take a
journey into the city’s everyday life.

Production: Lebanon, France, Belgium, 2004, 90 min. Fiction

Lina, a 12-year-old girl, doesn’t care about the war. Her secretive, rebellious childhood revolves around Siham, the 18-year-old maid who works in her aunt’s home. Lina spends all her time following Siham around, but she is as invisible to her as she is to the family. Through this inside story driven by two main characters, viewers are given a glimpse of the everyday life of Lebanon’s capital city during its war years.

11’09’’01 - September 11

4 euros: tickets purchased online, the officially unemployed, Casa Árabe
Language Center students and Youth Card holders, by showing the proper
documentation.You may only receive one discount. Advance sales at
www.casaarabe.es. Those tickets not sold online will be put on sale the
day of the screening at the Casa Árabe headquarters as of one hour
before each film is shown. Assigned seats with tickets.

Films shown in the original language version with subtitles in Spanish.

This film is a collective work made up of 11 short-subject films
directed by 11 filmmakers who represent great cultural diversity, with a
common inspiration: the events of 9/11 in New York and their
consequences.

The attacks on September 11, 2001 have been of historical importance around the world, above all in terms of the Arab world’s fate since that date. This film is a collective work made up of 11 short-subject films directed by 11 filmmakers who represent great cultural diversity, with a common inspiration: the events of 9/11 in New York and their consequences. 11 minutes, 9 seconds and 1 image (11’09”01). All of the directors were guaranteed full artistic freedom with the sole commitment that they must deliver a message of peace and tolerance amongst all peoples.

Awards: Nominated for Best Film from the European Union (César Awards, Paris, 2002), FIPRESCI Award for the best short-subject film -Ken Loach Segment- (Venice Film Festival, 2002), Freedom of Expression Award (National Board of Review Awards, New York, 2003).

Life After the Fall (Al hayat ma baada assuqut)

4 euros: tickets purchased online, the officially unemployed, Casa Árabe
Language Center students and Youth Card holders, by showing the proper
documentation.You may only receive one discount. Advance sales at
www.casaarabe.es. Those tickets not sold online will be put on sale the
day of the screening at the Casa Árabe headquarters as of one hour
before each film is shown. Assigned seats with tickets.

Films shown in the original language version with subtitles in Spanish.

An intimate documentary film that tells the story of the director’s
family (Kasim Abid) in Baghdad, filmed across four years in which they
fight to adapt to the sudden changes in their lives and in the city
since the regime’s downfall in 2003.

Production: Iraq, United Kingdom, 2008, 155 min. Documentary

Told chronologically, it juxtaposes the paces and concerns of daily life with events of historical importance. Their personal story is a metaphor for a larger story, a reflection upon the major upheaval caused in Iraq as of the fall of Saddam Hussein’s government.

Cast: Alham Mohammed, Fatima Saad, Zainb Saad

Awards and Festivals: International Film Festival of Dubai, 2008; First Prize (International Documentary Film Festival of Munich, 2008), Golden Hawk Award (Rotterdam Arab Cinema Festival, 2008), Best Documentary Film (Arab Cinema Festival of California, 2008), Second Prize for Best documentary (Gulf Film Festival, 2009).

As I Open My Eyes (À peine j’ouvre les yeux)

4 euros: tickets purchased online, the officially unemployed, Casa Árabe
Language Center students and Youth Card holders, by showing the proper
documentation.You may only receive one discount. Advance sales at
www.casaarabe.es. Those tickets not sold online will be put on sale the
day of the screening at the Casa Árabe headquarters as of one hour
before each film is shown. Assigned seats with tickets.

Films shown in the original language version with subtitles in Spanish.

This fictional film is set in Tunisia during the summer of 2010, a few
months after the revolution, and it shows us the social and political
environment in which the beginning of the revolutionary movements took
hold.

What are now known as the “Arab Springs” in 2011 constituted a time in history which now forms part of the story of the twenty-first century, even though its consequences have yet to be determined in the case of many Arab countries. This fictional film is set in Tunisia during the summer of 2010, a few months after the revolution, and it shows us the social and political environment in which the revolutionary movements took root. The film’s main character is Farah, who is 18 years old and has just graduated from high school, and her family can already picture her with a medical degree. She does not share that dream, however. She sings in a socially committed rock group, drinks alcohol, discovers love and lives her city’s nightlife, all against the will of her mother, Hayet, who is very familiar with Tunis and its dangers.

Awards and Festivals: Best performance by an actress (African Film Festival - FCAT, 2016), Best European Film (Authors’ Day Section/Venice Days, Venice Film Festival, 2015), Audience Award (BNL Section/Venice Days, Venice Film Festival (2015), Grand Prize for Best Film (Dubai International Film Festival, 2015), Best Feature Film (Namur French Language Film Festival, 2015), Jury Award for Best Actress and Audience Award (St. Jean de Luz Film Festival, 2015), the Bronze Tania Award, TV5 Monde Jury Award (Carthage Film Festival, Tunisia, 2015), Special Mention for Ghalia Benali, Audience Award and Critics’ Award (Mediterranean Film Festival of Brussels, 2015).